Marketing of Pigs. 
69 
branches of the trade all over England, regulating the supply 
when too heavy, hunting up and informing sellers when it 
proves too small for the consumptive demand, and selecting 
the right pigs for the right place, must be a great factor in 
promoting the profitable interchange of produce. The private 
seller must, of necessity, be without a great deal of this 
valuable knowledge, and he cannot hope by always sending 
to one or two customers to obtain the highest possible value 
for his produce. 
Co-operative Pig Dealing. 
To establish an agencj' of this sort the Pigs Sub-Com- 
mittee of the Eastern Counties’ Farmers Co-operative 
Association was formed about three years ago, and the amount 
of its annual turnover and the confidence the members of the 
Association have placed in it, have quite justified its opera- 
tions, and must be the excuse, if one is needed, for the short 
account of its methods included in this ai-ticle. 
The scheme was started in May 1905, and has shown steady 
progress ever since. The average weekly sales for that year 
numbered 106 pigs ; in 1906, the weekly sales were 233 pigs, and 
for this last month I am informed the average would work 
out nearly 500 pigs per week. Pigs are sold for the members at 
either live or dead weight, the former being the most popular 
with the vendors, as they can see their own pigs weighed and 
then know exactly how large a cheque to expect ; it is also 
gaining favour with the purchasers, as they need not kill the 
pigs at once on arrival, but can keep them over for a few days 
should it suit their convenience to do so. 
The Committee referred to above consists of six members, 
all of whom are interested in and connected with either the 
breeding or feeding part of the business. They have at their 
disposal the services of a competent manager and his assistant. 
The manager who is quite a pig expert is known to and in 
touch with all the large bacon firms as well as the wholesale 
houses of the Midlands, he has the use of a motor car, and is 
on the telephone. The Committee meets weekly when the 
manager renders an account of last week’s business, and states 
the number of the pigs he has on offer which constitutes the 
visible supply, he having been previously advised of these on 
printed post cards supplied by the Association or otherwise, while 
he also informs the Committee what orders he has from the 
Association’s customers. Journeys ai’e then arranged, it being 
a rule that no pigs shall be sent away in the name of the 
Eastern Counties’ Farmers Co-operative Association without 
having first been seen and selected for each customer, as it 
has been found most desirable that a yard of pigs should be 
